Forever Fern with Joseph’s Coat

Welcome to another week, my crafty friends! So much has happened this past week. First, we are now in the beginnings of the January-June (J-J) Mini Catalog Sales Period and Sale-a-bration. I absolutely love the new Mini Catalog, and because of that, I have multiples of some of the Sale-a-bration products. It’s a wonderful time of the year.

Also – you can now order both the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine and the Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine! If you need a smaller version for traveling or because you have less space, this is the machine for you!

I was really looking forward to this week, because last Wednesday, Amelia’s school closed until January 18. Something happened that caused them to close for 10 days. But apparently, that wasn’t as bad as they thought, because they’re re-opening this Tuesday. I am so bummed, because Amelia and I had lots of plans for the upcoming week. Still, I’m hoping we’ll be able to do some of it today.

In other news – Remember I told you that Whisper White Cardstock products were going to be discontinued because our supplier had to close operations? Well, the Basic White products are available! I ordered some of the Basic White Cardstock, and I love it. I think I may like it more than Whisper White. I did a comparison and asked Mike which looked better. He chose Basic White every time!

Today, I wanted to “revisit” another old technique, so I decided to give the Joseph’s Coat Technique another go. I love this technique, because it’s so striking.

For this technique, you need a “block” stamp. In other words, one that doesn’t need to be colored, because whatever color you use colors the entire stamp, not just an outline. I opted for the Forever Fern Stamp Set.

First, you need to sponge color on a piece of Basic White Cardstock. I used Gorgeous Grape, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, and Bumblebee with the new Blending Brushes that are available now in the J-J Mini Catalog.

Next, stamp the image in Versamark, and emboss with Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder. Doing this ensures that the color shows through the image. It also ensures that the image is “protected” from the next step.

The final step is to sponge black ink over the entire panel. I used Tuxedo Black Memento Ink with a Stamping Sponge. I could have used the Blending Brushes, because this is a water based ink, so it can easily be washed out of the brushes. But I was a little scared about using my new brushes. In the future, I’ll be ok with it. If you use an archival or solvent based ink, you will want to use a sponge that will be ok if it’s stained, because the ink will not wash out with water. (Of course, you can use a cleanser that works with solvent inks.)

Because the embossing powder works as a resist agent, the black ink will not adhere to the embossed image, so your beautiful color shows through. After you heat the embossing powder and it cools, buff the embossed areas with a smooth cloth.

I added a sentiment from the Forever Fern Stamp Set on another piece of Basic Black Cardstock. I actually added it to the stamped/embossed layer, but the Memento Ink was still wet, so I couldn’t get a good image. I finally gave up and stamped it in Versamark on a separate piece of Basic Black Cardstock, then embossed with White Stampin’ Emboss Powder and added it to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

The final touch was a bow made from the Sheer Gorgeous Grape Ribbon. I love how it added a bit of interest and brought the three leaf stamps together.

In case you missed it on my Facebook Page, I was showing Amelia how to use a bone folder the other day. I asked her, “Do you know why it’s called a bone folder? Because sometimes they’re made of bones.” Her eyes widened, and she looked at me with a very startled expression and asked, “Whose??” (No one you know…) She always makes me laugh.

Thanks for stopping by Stamping with Buffy. Have a lovely day!

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